St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-02-21
THE COMPANY TO BLA ME.
A Verdict Whica Reflects Upon the
Baltimore & Ohio,

TIFFIN, O., Feb 2O.-The investigation
of the great Baltimore 81 Ohio wreck, of
Jan. 4. has drawn to an end finally. and
tomorrow morning the verdict will be rem
dered by Coroner Zepher. The verdict is
very lengthy document, OF which the
following is a synopsis from an advanced
copy served tonight: The coroner first
finds that William Frederlcks, of Holgate,
o.; J. NJ. Francis and Frank Irwin, of
Blackhand, O.; w. S. Pierce, of Wheeling;
Joseph POstlethwaite, Henry POstlethwaite
and Spencer PoStlethwaite, of Wetzel
county, w. Va; NJ. II. Parks, of Wash
ingtnn; Frank D. Bowman, Of Mechanics
burg, Pa; David Ober, of Oberlin, Pa,
Thomas 0. Pemberton,~, of Payne, o.:
Alvey Il. Rice, Of Penfeld, ILL.,; John S.
Gartner. of Mechanicsville, Ia, and others,
whose names are unknown, came to their
death by collision on the Baltimore &
Ohio railway half mile west of the village
of Republic Jan. 4. 1887, at 2 o'clock a. III.
He finds that freight engine No. % was in
an unsafe and unservicable condition, and
that the officials of the road had been
notified of this fact but still
allowed it to be used. The engineer
of the freight train. Edward
S. Keller, was not intoxicated, as charged,
but was worn out with sixteen hours and
fifty minutes continuous duty with green
fireman and poor engine. He had plenty
OF time to get to Republic froh Senaca
siding-thirty-eig minutes-bufhis engine
was so poor and leaked so that the fires
at the point of collision. The con-
ductor of the freight, L.. f.
Fletcher, failed in his duty by not
tagging the limited express, for he knew
the engine had died ten minutes before the
express was due. The brakes on the eX-
press were Inferior and ineffective, for they
failed to diminish speed of forty three
miles an hour more than One-half in dis
tance of 1000 feet The manner of heat
ing and lighting the cars of the express
train was inferior, unsafe and dangerous,
and contrary to the laws of the
state of Ohio. Had the lighting
and heating been proper the cars would not
have burned and the loss of life would have
been very light He therefore finds that
the above-named persons came to their
death through gross negligence on the part
of the officials and managers Of the Chicago
division Of the Baltimore & Ohio road,
of Garrett, Ind, and through the
gross negligence OF Conductor l..
F. Fletcher in failing to signal
the express train and through gross negli-
gence on the part Of the owners, managers
and officers of the Baltimore & ohio Rail-
way company for using on said express
train inferior aud ineffective brakes, also
for using an improper, dangerous and un-
lawful manner of lighting and heating the
cars of said express. 1t would seem that
such negligence as resulted in such
grea. loss of life could not
be other than criminal, but
there are no laws in Ohio making such neg
ligence crime, and no laws under which
persons can be charged with crime. The
verdict will cause something of a stir, es-
pecially in this state, and will probably be
the cause of the enactment of laws making
such negligence as described or inie with
severe punishment.